Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.48.22
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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deha-ādi-upādheḥ
—
of bodily and other designative coverings
Compound: deha (body) + ādi (etc.) + upādhi (limiting adjunct). Upādhi is Vedānta's technical word for a designation that appears to limit but does not really limit. Gauḍīyas accept the term for the jīva's predicament and deny it of Bhagavān.
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nikāmaḥ
—
by Your sweet will
From ni + kāma (intention, will). What looks like the Lord's bondage or liberation is in fact His chosen līlā — Yaśodā binding Him in 10.9, for instance, is His acceptance, not His captivity. The word nikāma protects His freedom under the appearance of constraint.
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avivekaḥ
—
erroneous discrimination, our failure to discriminate
Compound: a (not) + viveka (discrimination). Where the verse stops short of saying 'You are bound,' it credits our avivekaḥ. The Bhāgavatam never blames Bhagavān for the appearance of His limitation; it always blames the seer's vision.
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bhidā
—
duality, division
From √bhid (to split). Bhidā for Bhagavān would imply He is one of two — but He is the One into Whom every Two is gathered. Gauḍīya commentators preserve bhidā at the level of śakti-Śaktimān (acintya-bheda) while denying it at the level of Bhagavān's essence.
Here Akrūra states two reasons why the Lord appears to be covered by a material form, or to take birth like a human being. First, when Lord Kṛṣṇa executes His pastimes, His loving devotees think of Him as their beloved child, friend, lover and so on. In the ecstasy of this loving reciprocation, they do not think of Kṛṣṇa as God. For example, because of her extraordinary love for Him, mother Yaśodā worries that Kṛṣṇa will be injured in the forest. That she feels this way is the desire of the Lord, which is here indicated by the word nikāmaḥ. The second reason the Lord may appear material is indicated by the word avivekaḥ: Simply because of ignorance, a lack of discrimination, one may misunderstand the position of the Personality of Godhead. In the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam, in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s discussion with Śrī Uddhava, the Lord elaborately discusses His transcendental position beyond bondage and liberation. As stated in Vedic literature, deha-dehi-vibhago yaṁ neśvare vidyate kvacit: “There is never a distinction of body and soul in the Supreme Lord.” In other words, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s body is eternal, spiritual, omniscient and the reservoir of all pleasure.
"But if I have no ignorance in me, then where does this body of mine, a product of ignorance, come from?" "Your body is not designated as coming from ignorance by those who have knowledge of the scriptures. Therefore you do not have birth like the jivas (na bhavah). If your body appears to be material, it is only an appearance of birth like the jivas, since you are actually independent. As you do not have a material body born of ignorance, you do not have birth from the father’s semen. Rather your birth is just your appearance (avirbhava). There is no difference between body and soul for you, unlike the jiva. Your body is you, as is proved by the statement "In the Lord there is no difference between the body and the soul." Since you are Brahman, transcendental to knowledge and ignorance, there is no bondage or liberation for you." "But I was bound up to the mortar by Mother Yasoda and escaped from the lake of Kaliya." "Let that be (syatam), as such bondage and liberation are not forbidden for you. Why do you accept bondage and liberation? It is because of our desire, the desire of your devotees (nikamah). We desire these incidents because they are worthy of meditation, In full knowledge (vivekah) you enact this bondage and liberation, as your are beyond the influence of maya. For one who is knowledge itself, there is no bondage to or liberation from this world, which is produced by lack of knowledge."
Since it is said that Kṛṣṇa was tied to the mortar it appears he could be bound by saṁsāra in his human form. Since it is seen that he showed great powers in a divine form seen in the lake of Yamunā, he appears to be liberated. It cannot be said however that you are bound by or librated from bodily covering. Or, you appear like this because of the desires (nikāmaḥ) of dear devotees such as us. When you develop desires arising from a special type of prema, your pastimes such as this appear. The pastime of being bound up arose because of the appearance of particular pastimes during childhood arising from Yaśodā’s parental mood and special desires. “How can such love develop for me if I reveal powers?” We do not see that (avivekaḥ). Though powers manifest, we do not notice them. ahaṁ bhakta-parādhīno hy asvatantra iva dvija sādhubhir grasta-hṛdayo bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyaḥ The Lord said: O brāhmaṇa! I am completely under the control of my devotees. I am not at all independent. My heart is controlled by the pure devotees. What to speak of my devotee, even those who are devotees of my devotee are very dear to me. SB 9.4.63 Because of this nature, you will appear with such bhāvas.
What can be said? Because of your knowledge, there is no cause of bondage of the mind. Actually all jīvas are not bound up. That is explained in this verse. Because of the falsity (anirūpititvāt) of the body and actions you are not bound or even liberated by actions. If bondage and liberation occurred it is the desire at all times (nikāmaḥ) of us devotees. You are bound or freed by the desire of the devotees. “Why would devotees desire this?” There is no sense of judgment for this (vivekaḥ). This bondage occurs by your actions like stealing butter. Giving up the rules of dharma for your devotees, you act in this manner. There is loss of judgment because of special rasa.
If a king is never actually imprisoned, the question 'when will he be released?' has no answer because it has no subject. Akrūra's logic: bondage and liberation are categories that simply do not attach to Bhagavān; if we see Him in those terms, we are reading our own confusion onto His face.
My note
Source: vedabase.io